EGR1000 Lab
Westpoint Bridge Virtual Design
Due: Tuesday Sept 26, 2018 - Week 5 before lab
This exercise will introduce you to some of the tasks and decisions that engineers face. You will
do this exercise as a group, and each group will hand in one assignment.
The details will be presented in the lecture on Wednesday. That information is repeated here.
Your task in this assignment is to design a truss bridge according to an established set of criteria.
You will use the West Point Bridge Designer software to design the bridge. When you have
completed your design, print out the pages with the cost calculations and load test results. You
will turn in this information with your cover sheet.
Steps to follow:
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Download West Point Bridge Designer 2016 from URL:
https://bridgecontest.org/resources/previous-versions-of-the-software/
You can download this software onto any computer, Mac or PC.
Review the design specifications –Open the New Design from the file menu.
Design a truss bridge with the following criteria:
Total cost of bridge must not exceed $250,000.
o Bridge deck must be at least 2 meters above the water level in the river
The bridge must be only ones pan (not two).
o The bridge must stand under its weight and the test truck.
Lab Report Should Include:
1) A group cover sheet with all group members’ names, a project title, and the date.
a. Discuss all the design components of the “How to Build a Bridge” from the Help
Menu this should include:
o Define the problem
o Site Configuration
o Truss Configuration
o Use of member list and cost results to iteratively design the bridge.
2) Use results of 2iterationsofyourdesigntocomparethe
a. Cost calculations from WPBD, this should include costs of bridge, excavation,
deck and abutment
b. Load test results from WPBD, entire member list and detail member list. (Use
yellow hatched button to number truss members)
c. Safety of bridge members
3) Show how the change in material type and structure of a horizontal, vertical and
diagonal member of the bridges changes the member’s strength and cost.
4) Discuss how you optimized the bridge design
5) Evaluate the Final Bridge Design
a. Include tables from the WPDB. Also pictures speak a thousand words so include
screen shots of your Bridge designs in your report.
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Some hints for designing your truss bridge:
o Start with the HELP screen and read the design specifications.
o Select Deck Elevation and Support Configuration
Deck elevation: A change in the deck elevation changes then needed excavation and
costs.
o Select a Standard Truss
o Fill in Title Block
o Design the Steel Truss
Draw the joints
o Draw the members
o Run load test
o Improve design as needed
o Cost of bridge is the sum of site and truss costs
o Site costs include any required excavation plus the abutments and piers that
support the bridge and the bridge deck
o Truss costs include the materials and labor to build the truss.
o Use a standard truss template to get started o Hollow tubes vs. solid bars
Hollow tubes cost more than bars.
o Tubes carry compressive forces more efficiently than bars. o Bars and tubes carry
tension forces with equal efficiency.
o Load test
o Tension members turn blue.
o Compression members turn red.
o Intensity of color proportional to stress level.
Deflections are exaggerated by a factor of 10.